Oct. 25, 2015

Why Historic Naval Ships are Critical to our Nation

As the sun set over San Pedro, California, homeport of U.S. battleships between WWI and WWII, I stood underneath the center barrel of the aft 16" gun turret of the museum ship USS Iowa. I had the honor to address the closing banquet of the annual Historic Naval Ships Association (HNSA) Conference on the fantail of a historic battleship in what was

Oct. 23, 2015

Recovering History - CSS Georgia Update

As a conservator for NHHC's Underwater Archaeology (UA) Branch, the majority of my work is focused on treatment of archaeological material recovered from U.S. Navy sunken military craft and primarily takes place in the UA Archaeology & Conservation Laboratory located on the Washington Navy Yard. However, I am occasionally afforded the chance to

Oct. 23, 2015

Return of USS Pirate's Flag Still a Mystery

For this month's celebration of Flag Friday, we'll revisit a time a little more than 65 years ago when a ship went down so quickly "nothing of value" could be salvaged, only to find out two years later the assessment was a bit premature.The sinking involved the minesweeper USS Pirate (AM 275) on Oct. 12, 1950, while clearing a channel in the area

Oct. 20, 2015

Navy's Strength Beneath the Sea - An Enduring Evolution

Submarines have lurked beneath the vast world waters for as long as the U.S. Navy's 240-year existence. Albeit a mystical notion to some in the beginning, submarines are now capable of conducting a wide variety of missions including anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare, land attack, intelligence gathering, mine reconnaissance, supporting special

Oct. 12, 2015

Honoring Those Lost: Taking the Fight to the Enemy

Editor's note: While currently Navy's curator, at the time of attack on USS Cole, Retired Admiral Sam Cox was the U.S. 5th Fleet Intelligence Officer. He was a principal advisor to the commander on intelligence matters and remained in the position well after the attack and into Operation Enduring Freedom.Starboard side view of the US Navy (USN)

Oct. 9, 2015

Top Dates in Navy's History

In celebration of more than 240 years of Navy readiness, we ask our fans what they think our most important dates in history are. Every moment in Navy history from the birth of our Navy in 1775 all the way up to Navy's missile attacks against ISIL in September 2014 have played a pivotal role in shaping our Navy and our nation. Below are just a few

Oct. 5, 2015

Nautical Terms and Naval Expressions

Have you ever wondered what a "field day" is or why "side boys" are named as so? What exactly is a "ropeyarn Sunday?" How did the term "scuttlebutt" come to be used to refer to gossip? The language of the Navy can be just as interesting as its origins. In the first of this series of blogs and infographics, we'll explore some of the more common and

Sept. 24, 2015

The Secret Weapon of Navy Diving

The Navy has many unsung heroes; in fact, you could argue most of our Navy is made up of them. A central truth about unsung heroes, by the term's very definition, is that their contributions are significant yet under-recognized. September 25th, the Naval Undersea Museum opens a new exhibit that shines a spotlight on one of the subsurface

Sept. 23, 2015

Yogi Berra's U. S. Navy Service Came before Baseball Fame

Close your eyes and picture Yogi Berra. If you're a baseball fan, you see him in the iconic Yankee stripes, but before that uniform, did you know he wore the Navy's iconic Dixie cap? He started his legendary career as a Yankees catcher, and later team manager, but in 1944 Yogi Berra was referred to asIn 2010, Berra was presented with the 2010 Audie

Sept. 17, 2015

USS Olympia Standing the Test of Time

Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to make my first visit to the historic ship USS Olympia (C 6). Berthed at the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia, she is truly representative of the beginning of the modern era in U.S. Navy ship construction, design and capability. As a fan of warships, I wanted to see in person this important part